Located in Tokyo’s Harajuku district, home of Japanese fashion, Design Festa Gallery East and West is unlike any art gallery you’ve seen before. The West branch of the gallery opened in 1998 in support of Asia’s biggest art event, Design Festa and in 2007, the East branch opened just across the street.
Design Festa Gallery is a rental gallery that houses 29 affordable exhibition areas. Artists also have the option of having a single piece exhibited in the “art piece” room, jam-packed with works from tons of different people.
There is even a kitchen space available to be used as a café to accompany artwork.
Because anyone can rent space and exhibit their art, the possibilities of what a visitor will see on any given day is endless. This month, for example, will feature “French Art of Living in Autumn,” which uses the kitchen space to serve French food, host live musicians, exhibit paintings and give a wine tasting class.
At the same time, one of the smaller spaces will show Japanese photographer Masaya Saitoh’s photo series, “Unfinished 2009.”
Entry to the gallery is free and usually has a steady flow of passer-bys walking through, attracted by the building’s unique façade.
With every outside surface covered in bright colors and designs that over the years have been continuously added to, it’s pretty hard to miss even though it’s nestled between streets filled with Harajuku’s infamously wild style.
For more information: designfestagallery.com
Gallery Spotlight is a series of biweekly short features on art exhibitions, and the galleries that host them, from all corners of the world.